To correct a glaring mistake from “Stranger Things” Season 4 involving Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), the Duffer Brothers turned to George Lucas’ school of thought for a solution. Speaking to Variety, Matt Duffer admitted that they forgot about Will’s original birthday of March 22 when writing the episode “Vecna’s Kiss,” despite the date cropping up in it.
Fans spotted the error, though, forcing the Duffers’ to retroactively fix the mistake. “We’re thinking his new birthday […] is going to be May 22nd, because ‘May’ can fit in Winona’s mouth [in the Season 2 scene where Joyce says the date of Will’s birthday],” shared Matt Duffer. “So that would be us George Lucas-ing the situation.”
The Lucas mention refers to the “Star Wars” creator’s history of retroactively changing his movies for theatrical re-releases and special edition DVDs. These alterations have seen Lucas splice in brand-new scenes, upgrade the special effects, and reorganize certain sequences. By contrast, the Duffers’ decision to change Will’s birthday is pretty minor, and they haven’t made a habit out of it (even if some folks believe they altered a controversial “Stranger Things” Season 1 scene). Despite the Duffers’ attempts to fix the aforementioned error, though, some fans have noticed more Will-related mistakes since then.
Stranger Things fans spotted another Will plot hole in Season 5
“Stranger Things” Season 5 received positive reviews, but some fans were quick to point out more inconsistencies regarding Will Byers’ life. The “Sorcerer” episode boasts a scene where Will recalls building Castle Byers with his older brother, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), back in the day. But while we already know this story, Season 5 changes some key details.
The story of Jonathan and Will building their makeshift fort is also told in Season 2’s “The Mind Flayer” episode, where it’s revealed that their construction efforts were slowed down by the rain. However, Will’s flashbacks in “Sorcerer” contradict these events, as no rain is falling at all — in fact, it’s actually pretty sunny. To play devil’s advocate, it’s possible that Will just forgot about the rain in his memories, or it didn’t pour down until later on. With that being said, the consensus among many fans is that the scene is yet another example of the show’s self-contradictions.
